IBM shoots for 22nm processor, bragging rights

IBM and others have already boasted about their plans to develop sub-32nm processors, but it now looks like Big Blue is aiming to blow past its competitors in a pretty big way by taking things all the way down to the 22-nanometer level. That rather significant leap is apparently possible thanks to a new technique that IBM developed with Mentor Graphics and Toppan Printing dubbed Computational Scaling, which employs some new mathematical techniques and other head-scratching measures to overcome the current limitations associated with etching circuits onto processors of this scale. While it of course sees the 22nm processors being used in even smaller laptops and an array of other devices, IBM seems to be especially interested in using the chips in its cloud computing initiatives, where it seems to think the chips' greater efficiency could make a particularly big impact. As you might have guessed, however, it's not yet clear exactly when that might happen.

[Via DailyTech]

[Engadgetier @ Sep 22nd 2008 6:12PM]

Wow, thats small, im still amazed at the rate technology is getting faster, smaller and better everyday. Thank You Engadget. you're my #1 tech news blog. =)

[Engadgetier @ Sep 22nd 2008 7:03PM]

what are IBM's cloud computing initiatives?

[Salsa Shark @ Sep 22nd 2008 9:07PM]

http://www.google.com/search?q=ibm+cloud+computing+initiatives&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t

Not so hard, was it?

[Rebel6381 @ Sep 23rd 2008 11:06AM]

@ Salsa Shark

Thumbs up for the detective work and big toes up for the user name(were gonna need a bigger boat) lol

[Samboini @ Sep 22nd 2008 6:15PM]

Impressive. Cue the day when my mobile phone is as powerful as my current desktop. Give it say, 15 years max?

[phanbouy @ Sep 22nd 2008 6:27PM]

in 15 years we'll be witnessing a showdown of Kevin Costner and Dennis Hopper on a planet filled with water. except for Down Under, where Mel will be getting rescued from biker gangs by a crazy dude flying a gyrocopter

[RauBurger @ Oct 13th 2008 6:17PM]

um, that should never happen. because they dye size of your desktop computer should be the same but hold 10 times the number of transistors as where your cell phone the dye size is shrinking. basically your cell phone should never be as powerful as your desktop.

[Johan S @ Sep 22nd 2008 6:55PM]

@RauBurger

I think he meant his cell phone of the future will be as powerful as his current day desktop (not desktop of the future).

[Oreoleo @ Sep 22nd 2008 6:56PM]

He meant his current desktop vs future phone- not his future desktop vs. his future phone.

[Bryan @ Sep 22nd 2008 7:04PM]

He said as powerful as his CURRENT desktop. As in when will a phone be more powerful than a 2008 desktop. Reading before replying = good.

And I'd say 15 years is a bit high :)

[Platinum_Skeet @ Sep 22nd 2008 7:08PM]

A cellphone that plays crysis? Interesting... Interesting indeed...

[Carl Vitullo @ Sep 22nd 2008 7:36PM]

Hey, cell phones can play doom now. That was the big "UPGRADE NOW" game of then.

[bernardino @ Sep 22nd 2008 7:05PM]

I want one in my brain.

[eiki @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:24PM]

that would cause a nasty aneurysm

[Labrador @ Sep 22nd 2008 7:31PM]

Miniature laptops? I already have trouble typing on this one.

[TheWakeUpCall @ Sep 22nd 2008 7:33PM]

IBM goes for the three point, he shoots! But will he score?

[Skyride @ Sep 22nd 2008 7:42PM]

What is the point in this? I mean really. Smaller dies mean you can reach higher clock speeds but also the CPU runs hotter (smaller wires = more resistance = more heat). So bassically, unless this thing is intended to run at 5-6GHz stock, its a waste of time. Intel can't push much past the 4.5GHz barrier with current 45nm technology without needing a blackhole to simple suck all the heat out of it from the extra volts.

More Volts = less resistance
More Volts = more electricity
More Volts = More Heat

Simple as that. Its bragging rights on big blue's part, nothing else.

[Skyride @ Sep 22nd 2008 7:45PM]

Also, its more important to note 2 other things. Clock speed isn't going to be the most important thing in the next few years. Its going to be number of cores and IPC (instructions per cycle). But before more cores, we need programmers to being lazy fuckers and make their apps multi-threaded! The current situation with gaming shows that.

[rickjamess @ Sep 22nd 2008 9:30PM]

@skyride

So you are saying that basically Sony is ahead of the curve by putting a multi-core'd processor into their current gen console in order to get game programmers to stop being lazy and learn how to code for the future?

[hyperspaced @ Oct 7th 2008 6:01AM]

there is something called "leakage current" that makes smaller cooler.

So SMALLER = COOLER.

That's it for now, OK?

[Arran @ Sep 23rd 2008 4:01AM]

Smaller transistor size means less energy is wasted, i.e the cpu runs colder not hotter. Haven't you noticed the smaller cpu heatsinks on the 45 nm intels ?

[Minilap @ Sep 22nd 2008 7:48PM]

So AMD failed to steal the secret from Intel but looks like IBM did it.

[Chris @ Sep 22nd 2008 8:09PM]

I'm more interested in getting better graphics power in cell phones and netbooks than I am in faster cpu's.

[Nick @ Sep 23rd 2008 12:21AM]

wow! this technology is amazing i can't wait to see this in miiature laptops and things!

[Ogo @ Sep 23rd 2008 7:19AM]

Nothing compared to 80 Gigs of storage capacity in Keanu's head..... well 160 Gigs if you count the memory doubler.

[Ogo @ Sep 23rd 2008 7:20AM]

Ahhh sorry guys upon research storage space in the brain won't be available until 2020.

[Cesar @ Sep 23rd 2008 8:01AM]

Just to point out that all the sub-32 and 22 nm names are just a commercial name. No one is going down to the 22 nm node, mainly because there is no clear definition of how should be built all the devices in such technology node. I am already impressed by the 45 nm node, which has a real 45 nm as the gate dimensions for the transistors, small enough for me if we start doing 3D integration. The only thing that IBM is talking about is that they are going to be partners with AMD to continuing going down in a more than moore spirit. They could just say that the microprocessor is going to be as small as now but consuming a lot less, let see how they deal with the heating issue with such high density.
By the way INTEL now has to change their technology to go down to 32 nm, it is not going to be possible doing that in bulk Si. Maybe the mid-long term decission of IBM and AMD of going directly to SOI will be proven a better decision now, time will say.